UNITING THE BODY OF CHRIST

2 Cor. 10:3-5
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ

The 29-year-old country superstar and former American Idol, who was raised Baptist, explained her position on the social debate in a recent interview with the Independent. "Above all, God wanted us to love others," she noted. "It's not up to me to judge anyone."

Underwood, who is married to hockey star and fellow Christian Mike Fisher, says she and her husband attend a gay-friendly nondenominational church. "As a married person myself, I don't know what it's like to be told I can't marry somebody I love," she said. "I can't imagine how that must feel."

"I definitely think we should all have the right to love, and love publicly, the people that we want to love."

Underwood has been open about her faith throughout her career, and marked her first No. 1 hit with the religiously themed "Jesus Take The Wheel." Fisher's official sports website includes a testimony section in which he explains his personal relationship with Christ.

Underwood's declaration did not go unnoticed by the entertainment world--in fact, pop superstar Miley Cyrus tweeted on Monday a call for Underwood to appear in the NOH8 Campaign, a protest against gay discrimination which has attracted numerous celebrities.

"Would be wonderful to get that kinda support from country music!" Cyrus enthused, to which openly gay country singer Chely Wright replied, "That would be AWESOME!"

Underwood herself remained silent on Twitter regarding the matter, and has not released any further statement as of this posting. Her latest album, Blown Away, is currently No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart.

Sadly, it looks like Carrie Underwood, who professes to be a Christian, has taken back the wheel.

A genuine follower of Jesus Christ would not do the following:

"You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah" (Psalm 52:3).

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20)!

"Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them" (Romans 1:32).

A genuine follower of Jesus Christ would agree with the Word of God:

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24).

"He answered, 'Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh"? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.'” (Matthew 19:4-6)?

"But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh" (Mark 1o:6-8).

"Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error" (Romans 1:24-27).

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” (Ephesians 5:21).

"Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted" (1 Timothy 1:8-11).

"But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8).

Carrie Underwood, assuming she was quoted accurately, gives every indication she is a Christian in name only; for she calls evil (homosexuality) good, and she does not believe the Bible.

Carrie Underwood has taken the wheel from the Jesus of the Bible and has given it to a false Jesus she has created in her imagination--a Jesus who approves of homosexuality and perverted form of love that is nothing more than sinful lust. Underwood, like so many other professing Christians is committing idolatry of the mind; and no idolater will inherit the kingdom of Heaven (see 1 Corinthians 6:9).

Christians must stop dubbing stars ambassadors of Christ.

Over the years, Christians have shown a tendency to jump on the bandwagon of any actor, singer, beauty queen, musician, politician, business mogul, or athlete who refers to themselves as a "Christian." I believe Christians do this, in part, because they desperately want to show the world that Christianity is relevant to the masses and acceptable among society's elite.

Yet in doing so Christians, more often than not, latch themselves not to rising Christian stars on the world's stage, but falling false convert stars who need to repent and believe the gospel. No one is a Christian simply because they mention the name of Jesus in their acceptance speeches, song titles, political platforms, or post-game interviews. And more often than not, what comes out of the mouths of professing celebrity Christians reveals the true condition of their hearts.

Carrie Underwood may be a case in point.

While Underwood's rhetoric might be in keeping with segments of mainstream American Evangelicalism, it is not in keeping with biblical Christianity. And the "love" of which she speaks regarding homosexual behavior is not a God-honoring, Christ-loving, Bible-believing love. It is a sinful love that puts man's fleshly desires above the will and Word of God. It is a sinful love that puts the love for the creature over and above the love for the Creator (Romans 1:22-25).

My suggestion to Carrie Underwood is that she takes her hands off the wheel, repent, and believe the gospel. It is not enough for her to sing that Jesus takes the wheel of her life if her beliefs indicate she is driving the car in the wrong direction.

PS.

Since it now appears, with over 2,000 views in little more than an hour's time, some of Carrie Underwood's fans are weighing in, here's what I would say to Carrie if I could speak to her directly:

Carrie:

I don't know you, so I have no choice but to talk to you as if you were a stranger on the street.

I do not know your heart, so I am left with evaluating what you say. And what you have said about homosexual unions is not a position a Christian would or can take. For God's Word makes it clear that any and all homosexual behavior is sin in His eyes. It's a violation of His holy Law.

Carrie, when you die (and we will all die someday), you will stand before God and give an account for your life--every decision made, every action taken, every idea thought, every word spoken. He will judge each of us according to the perfect moral standard of His Law. If we have sinned against Him in any way (and all sin is against God)--if we have lied, stolen, looked with lust, taken His name in vain, hated another person, or coveted someone else's possessions; He will find us guilty of breaking His Law.

And Carrie, we also sin against God when we fashion a Jesus in our mind to suit ourselves--when we create a Jesus in our imagination with whom we are comfortable or society will readily accept. This is called idolatry. It is idolatrous to change the character of Jesus Christ and make Him into Someone who turns a blind eye to sin or even applauds sin. And that is what you've done by making statements in support of homosexual marriages, and then suggesting God would be in favor of it.

Carrie, when you stand before God, if He finds you guilty of breaking His Law, He will punish your sin. And the punishment God has ascribed for sin is eternity in Hell. He must do what is right, because He is holy, righteous, and just.

I don't want that for you. I don't want that for any homosexual. I don't want that for anyone.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift. In addition to being holy, righteous, and just; God is also, loving, merciful, and kind.

2,000 years ago, as you were likely taught in your baptist church, God the Father sent His Son to earth in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus was and is fully God and fully Man, yet without sin. Unlike you and me, He never once violated the Law of God in thought, word, or deed. He couldn't because He was and is God in the flesh--the sinless Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.

Jesus lived the perfect life (a life pleasing to God the Father) that neither you nor I can live. About 33 years into His earthly existence, He voluntarily went to the cross. He suffered and died a horrific, bloody death to take upon Himself the punishment you and I rightly deserve for our sins against God. Three days later, He forever defeated sin and death when He rose from the grave. He is alive today, and He will return at a time of the Father's choosing.

Carrie, what God commands of you is the same thing He commands of me and all people everywhere. He commands that we repent (turn from our sin and turn toward God); and, by faith alone, receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Carrie, you may have heard this (or something similar) in the past, maybe even in church. But it is not enough to nod your head in agreement and then believe in a Jesus whose character is different than the one, true Jesus of the Bible.

Like everyone else, Carrie, you must come to Jesus Christ on His terms, not your own--on His terms, not in a way that is sociably acceptable to the masses.

Carrie, take to heart Jesus' own words:

"Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander" (Matthew 15:17-19).

Now, in light of what Jesus said, compare what you are saying about homosexual marriage. What is proceeding from your mouth reveals the true condition of your heart.

I would hope some of your fans who are posting here and, more importantly someone close to you would care enough about you to tell you the truth. And Carrie, if your church endorses homosexual marriage or the homosexual lifestyle as compatible with God's Word or a relationship with Jesus Christ, then I must encourage you to leave the church as soon as possible. For it is not one of Christ's churches.

Please, Carrie, repent of your sin and, by faith and by faith alone, receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, while He has given you time.

And let me encourage you to watch this important documentary. If you are a Christian, Carrie, you will want to do whatever you can to stop this modern-day holocaust.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

About the Author

Wesley Strackbein has served as the Coordinating Producer of a variety of films, including The Mysterious Islands. He handles media relations for VFM and is the Managing Editor of Vision Forum Ministries’ website.

Dead women — killed on the frontlines of combat — are no more a terrible sight to behold than dead men.So declared General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as he joined President Barack Obama and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta in announcing a formal policy change on January 24 which removes the last restraints for women to serve in all active combat roles in the U.S. military. As part of a much-hyped and heralded public relations move by the current administration, Dempsey stated: “I’ve gone to Bethesda to visit wounded warriors, and I’ve gone to Arlington to bury our dead. There’s no distinction [between men and women].”[1]

As shocking as this may sound, it accurately reflects the changing attitudes of most Americans toward women in combat.

Our nation has had more than a decade to digest the horrors of our servicewomen being maimed, tortured, and killed in foreign wars, as the U.S. military has increasingly expanded the scenarios in which our female soldiers are placed in harm’s way. More than 150 female soldiers have died in Iraq and Afghanistan as a result, and servicewomen such as Jessica Lynch and Shoshana Johnson have been captured and suffered severe torture as prisoners of war.

Yet rather than respond in outrage, Americans have largely viewed the sufferings of women in combat as no different than the hard plight of “one of the boys.”

In 2004, the New York Times ran a cover story which featured a gruesome image of a wounded female soldier, blood running down her leg, with three men surrounding her, screaming. Rather callously, the Times titled the article, “A Routine Burst of Chaos Leaves a G.I. Wounded.” In writing the piece, journalist Dexter Filkins in no way keyed in on the fact that the wounded G.I. was a woman — he reported the story as if she had been any other male soldier hit by enemy fire.[2]

While this news article might be dismissed as liberal media bias, the majority of the American public is on board with our government’s recent decision to allow women to serve at the point of the spear in battle, where the brutalities of war are normally most fierce. According to a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center on Jan 24-27, 66% of Americans support lifting the combat ban for women, while only 26% oppose it.[3]

Retired U.S. Navy Captain Lory Manning made this startling yet astute observation on the tepid reaction Americans have shown to female soldiers being harmed in war: “Everyone expected a hue and cry when women started getting killed in combat, and it hasn’t happened. . . . The American public is ready to accept a greater number of female casualties in wartime.”[4]

The Law of the Innocents: Women Rescued from Combat Duty

Such apathy toward women in combat was considered appalling by past generations who embraced a Christian worldview. A powerful example of this occurred in Ireland at the close of seventh century A.D., when Adomnán — a Christian statesman, abbot of Iona, and biographer of Columba — denounced the placing of women on the frontlines of combat, promulgating a law to end this travesty.[5]

The war practice of unconverted clans in Ireland during this time was despicable. When they formed up for line of battle, husbands placed their wives directly in front of them on the field. Often carrying a baby with her in a pouch, the woman warrior was given a thirty-foot-long pole with an iron hook on the end which served as her weapon. If the woman hesitated to charge and fight in the heat of conflict, the husband flogged her back to prod her forward. When a woman soldier was killed in battle, her breasts were often severed by the enemy as a war prize.

Adomnán personally witnessed the mangled bodies of dead women warriors when he and his mother Ronnat visited a battlefield following a vicious encounter between two armies. A Medieval source records that “they saw nothing more touching and pitiful than the head of a woman in one place and the body in another, and her little babe upon the breasts of the corpse, a stream of milk upon one of its cheeks, and a stream of blood upon the other.”

Both Adomnán and his mother saw the dire need to intervene, with Ronnat giving her son this charge: “to thee henceforth it is given to free the women of the western world.” Compelled to action, Adomnán drafted “The Law of the Innocents” which was enacted at the Synod of Birr in the year 697, with ninety-one signatories from Ireland and Britain lending their support to the edict. Among other provisions, the law stipulated that if “women be employed in an assault or in a host or fight,” those in whose army they served were to be fined seven cumals (equivalent to the value of twenty-one milk cows) for each woman they compelled to take up arms in battle.

Adomnán’s legal reform was a masterstroke which led to women being protected in war, rather than exploited as the sacrificial first line of combat.

The Chivalric Code: Women Must Be Protected

As Christianity continued to transform Europe, codes of chivalry emerged which made the protection of women and the weaker members of society a chief aim. The Knights Codes of Chivalry, recorded in The Song of Roland, was adopted approximately one hundred years after Adomnán and is Europe’s first known chivalric code to be preserved. Of the seventeen tenets of this code, three require the aiding and protecting of women: (1) To protect the weak and defenceless; (2) To give succour to widows and orphans; (3) To respect the honor of women.

The codes of chivalry that followed this standard enacted during Charlemagne’s time incorporated similar provisions. The later Ordene de chevalerie, a widely popular French work which was likely composed before 1250, stipulated that knights “must honour all women and damsels and be ready to aid them to the limit of [their] power.”[6]

In the Medieval world, men — not women — took up arms and fought wars, while women were honored and protected as the weaker vessel. Rather than being placed on the front lines of combat, they were secured behind the lines of battle to ensure their safety and well-being.

The Biblical Foundation: Men, Not Women, Go to War

The world of knights protecting fair maidens did not flow from a backwards, unenlightened romanticism, but was based squarely on the precepts and patterns found in God’s Word.

Scripture stipulates that men are to take up arms in combat, while women are to be shielded from the horrors of battle. A prime example of this is found in the Book of Joshua, when the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh were called upon to help the other tribes conquer the land of Canaan, even as they were granted land beyond its boundaries, east of the Jordan River. Joshua’s directions to these three tribes make plain how a civilized people is to approach war:

Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valour, and help them. (Joshua 1:14)

A census that Moses conducted a generation earlier illustrates that able men, not women, are to go to war:

Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls; From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies. (Numbers 1:2-3)

The term “men of war” is used thirty-six times in the Bible and clearly indicates that those of the male rather than the female gender are to march in battle, as when Israel circled the walls of Jericho. “And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days” (Joshua 6:3).

The Bible also provides examples of men taking steps to protect women when hostile parties threatened, with the men hazarding their lives on their behalf. One of the most poignant illustrations of this is found in the Book of Genesis, as Jacob was preparing to meet his brother Esau. Fearing that Esau’s band would slaughter “the mother with the children” (Genesis 32:11), Jacob positioned his wives and young ones to the rear of his party, while he lead from the front (Genesis 33:1-3).

The most significant example of all time of male sacrifice for women was modeled by Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity. Jesus suffered the scourge of torture, humiliation, and ultimately death to save His bride, the Church, and men in all ages are admonished to follow His lead (Ephesians 5:25).

America the Barbarous: A Call to Repentance

Our nation’s abandonment of biblical principles has led women to be devalued rather than cherished. As opposed to reacting with shame and outrage at the prospect of women facing the horrors of frontline combat, as Adomnán did 1,300 years ago, the majority of Americans are celebrating the placement of our sisters and daughters in the heat of battle as a triumph of women’s rights. Far from being “enlightened” concerning warfare, twentieth-first century America has become a nation of barbarians.

President Obama’s words — made on the day his administration announced that hundreds of thousands of combat roles would be opened for women — reflect the attitude of much of our nation’s populous: “Today, every American can be proud that our military will grow even stronger with our mothers, wives, sisters and daughters playing a greater role in protecting this country we love.”[7]

In last week’s State of the Union address, the President took the occasion to trumpet this policy change to an estimated 33.5 million viewers, stating that “our sisters and daughters . . . are ready for combat.”[8]

What should be sounding instead is a lament. The weeping prophet Jeremiah offers mournful words fit for the occasion: “Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people. Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission . . .” (Lamentations 3:48-49).

While all life is precious in God’s sight, we have erred in concluding that the death of G.I. Jane in combat is no more terrible than the death of G.I. Joe. Women should not be placed in harm’s way to defend our nation, and rather than celebrate what should be mourned, we should cry out to God to humble our hearts in repentance.

Only then will the scales be lifted from our eyes and our hearts be made tender to protect the weaker sex.

[1] Chris Good, Mary Bruce, and Luis Martinez, “Military Warned to Maintain Readiness as Women Move Toward Combat,” ABCNews.com, January 24, 2013.[2] Dexter Filkins,“A Routine Burst of Chaos Leaves a G.I. Wounded,” New York Times, May 26, 2004.[3] “Broad Support for Combat Roles for Women,” Pew Research Center, released January 29, 2013.[4] David S. Cloud and Tony Perry, “Military to lift ban on women in combat,” Los Angeles Times, January 23, 2013.[5] This discussion of Adomnán’s reforms is derived from original Medieval sources as recorded in: the Kuno Meyer, Editor and Translator, Medieval Sourcebook: Cain Adamnain: An Old-Irish Treatise on the Law of Adamnan (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905).[6] Maurice Keen, Chivalry, originally published in 1984 by Yale University. Citation taken from the Folio Society’s deluxe edition (London: The Folio Society, 2010), pp. 7-10.[7] David Jackson, “Obama backs women in combat,” USA Today, January 24, 2013.[8] A full transcript of President Obama’s 2013 State of the Union Address can be accessedhere.

Friday, January 25, 2013

What Is the Gospel?

There is no greater message to be heard than that which we call the Gospel. But as important as that is, it is often given to massive distortions or over simplifications. People think they’re preaching the Gospel to you when they tell you, ‘you can have a purpose to your life’, or that ‘you can have meaning to your life’, or that ‘you can have a personal relationship with Jesus.’ All of those things are true, and they’re all important, but they don’t get to the heart of the Gospel.

The Gospel is called the ‘good news’ because it addresses the most serious problem that you and I have as human beings, and that problem is simply this: God is holy and He is just, and I’m not. And at the end of my life, I’m going to stand before a just and holy God, and I’ll be judged. And I’ll be judged either on the basis of my own righteousness – or lack of it – or the righteousness of another. The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness, of perfect obedience to God, not for His own well being but for His people. He has done for me what I couldn’t possibly do for myself. But not only has He lived that life of perfect obedience, He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice to satisfy the justice and the righteousness of God.

The great misconception in our day is this: that God isn’t concerned to protect His own integrity. He’s a kind of wishy-washy deity, who just waves a wand of forgiveness over everybody. No. For God to forgive you is a very costly matter. It cost the sacrifice of His own Son. So valuable was that sacrifice that God pronounced it valuable by raising Him from the dead – so that Christ died for us, He was raised for our justification. So the Gospel is something objective. It is the message of who Jesus is and what He did. And it also has a subjective dimension. How are the benefits of Jesus subjectively appropriated to us? How do I get it? The Bible makes it clear that we are justified not by our works, not by our efforts, not by our deeds, but by faith – and by faith alone. The only way you can receive the benefit of Christ’s life and death is by putting your trust in Him – and in Him alone. You do that, you’re declared just by God, you’re adopted into His family, you’re forgiven of all of your sins, and you have begun your pilgrimage for eternity.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

“One’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” -Luke 12:15

The Rich Fool of Jesus’ parable in Luke 12 could be a poster boy for the American Dream. He worked his land, earned a good living, and planned to enjoy the fruits of his labor. But he could also pass for what is too often the American Reality. Ruled by selfishness and greed, he ignored the One who created the land, the One who made it produce a harvest, and the One who numbered his very days.

Everything we have comes from God and belongs to God: life, family, money, resources, time, job, talents . . . everything. (John 3:27; 1 Cor. 4:7) We are stewards of what God has given us. He owns it; we use it.

In addition to the breath in our lungs and the food on our table, through the work of Jesus, God has given us forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life: “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven.” (1 Peter 1:4)

All of this is much more than we deserve, and though many Christians would nod their head in agreement, few actually live as though that were true. Rather than cultivating humble appreciation, we covet a higher standard of living. Rather than gratitude for his grace, we exhibit greed for our own gain.

The difference between these two outlooks influences and directs every aspect of life:

Gratitude

Greed

Attitude

Humility (Phil. 2:3)

Grumbling (Phil. 2:15)

Perspective

Grace: “I am a sinner who de- serves death but Jesus paid the price and gave me his perfect righteousness.”

Entitlement: “I am a good person who deserves heaven—plus a comfortable, pain-free existence in the meantime.”

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is a day that has been set aside each year since 1983 to observe the value of human all life—born and unborn. This post from John Piper captures 15 things to consider about abortion.

Unfortunately, there is a proliferation of pornography. This post focuses on a biblical and grace-centered way to resist the temptation to view porn. Though this post is primarily aimed at men, this is also helpful for the growing number of women who are addicted to porn as well.

This past November, Washington State and Colorado legalized the recreational use of marijuana. This decision, of course, leads to a host of pastoral questions and issues for Christian. This article is from the introduction of Mark Driscoll’s free eBook with the same title.

Heartbreakingly, many victims of sexual assault are children. Lindsey Holcomb, coauthor of Rid of My Disgrace with her husband, Justin, provides eight ways parents can protect their children from sexual abuse.

Respect is defined as a deep admiration for someone elicited by his or her abilities, qualities, or achievements. How can moms respect their sons without making them idols? Jen Smidt provides 10 tips for moms (p.s. dads can benefit from this article as well).

Did you know that the Super Bowl, like other large sporting events, is a magnet for sex-trafficking and child prostitution? Did you know it is possibly the largest sex-trafficking event in the U.S.? With this article, Resurgence director Justin Holcomb not only reveals this disturbing reality, but also provides six practical ways that you can fight sex-trafficking.

Though dating can be exciting, it can also be confusing, heartbreaking, and tumultuous. Jen Smidt looks back upon her dating experiences and provides eight principles she would have told herself years ago before getting married.

November 29th marks the eleventy-fourth (114th) year since C.S. Lewis was born. Last year I listed some of my favorite quotes from his writings. This year I thought I would share some of the more interesting facts about his life.

1. He was not English. Though many think and refer to him as such, he was actually born in Belfast, Ireland. So he technically he was British but not English.

2. He changed his name to Jack. In 1902 he announced to his parents that he would, from that day forward, be referred to as “Jacksie.” It was later shortened to “Jacks” and then finally “Jack.” He would be Clive no more.

3. He never learned to drive.

4. His favorite sound was adult male laughter.

5. His ideal happiness was “to be always convalescent from some small illness and always seated in a window that overlooked the sea, there to read these poems (Renaissance Italian epic) eight hours of each happy day.”

6. He loved the sea.

7. He failed his Oxford entrance exam, twice. He took the Responsions at least two times and failed the math section. He was allowed entrance into Oxford in 1917 because he served in the military.

8. He had dreams of lions. Prior to writing The Chronicles of Narnia he had strange dreams of lions and pictures in his head of a faun carrying parcels.

9. J.R.R. Tolkien did not like the Narnia stories. Tolkien did not like the Christian allegory, nor did he like the mixing of myths. It appeared he was fond of Aslan though.

10. Aslan is Turkish for “lion.”

11. He often addressed Jesus as Aslan in prayer.

12. Some argue that Tolkien based Treebeard on Lewis. I cannot prove this, but I’ve heard it in more than one place.

13. His conversion to Christianity was notwhen he wrote in Surprised By Joy:“You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England. I did not then see what is now the most shining and obvious thing; the Divine humility which will accept a convert even on such terms. The Prodigal Son at least walked home on his own feet. But who can duly adore that Love which will open the high gates to a prodigal who is brought in kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance of escape? The words compelle intrare, ‘compel them to come in,’ have been so abused be wicked men that we shudder at them; but, properly understood, they plumb the depth of the Divine mercy. The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and His compulsion is our liberation.”

This was simply his conversion to theism from atheism in 1929. It wasn’t until 1931 that he and his brother went to Whipsnade Zoo. Warren drove the motorcycle while Jack sat in the sidecar! He wrote, “When we set out, I did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and when we reached the zoo, I did.” The evening before this trip, Lewis had a long discussion with Hugo Dyson and J.R.R. Tolkien about Christianity.

14. He did not affirm the inerrency of Scripture.To be clear, he highly regarded the Bible and its authority. He read the Bible constantly (Authorized Version). But he would not have used the same language about the Bible as evangelicals do today.

15. He wasn’t a fan of the Reformation.He thought the issues involved could have been handled more appropriately. He referred to it as “farcical.”

16. He smoked . . . a lot!

17. He drank . . . a good bit!

18. He was a shabby dresser.

19. He was extremely generous. Douglas Gresham recalls a story where Jack and a friend were walking to a meeting one day when they were approached by a beggar. The beggar asked them for some spare change whereupon Jack gave him everything he had. Once the beggar had gone, his friend said, “You shouldn’t have given that man all that money Jack, he’ll only spend it on drink.” Jack’s reply – “Well, if I’d kept it, I would have only spent it on drink.”

20. He married Joy Davidman in the hospital.This was about a year after he married her in a secret civil ceremony due to the denial of her residency by the British Home Office. But he wanted a church ceremony, hence the hospital wedding.

21. A Grief Observed was originally published under the pseudonym N. W. Clerk. Lewis wrote this work after Joy died in 1960. Many who read the book sent Lewis copies hoping it would help him in his plight!

23. He read every single book from the 16th century. To prepare to write his English Literature in the 16th Century, he read every single volume from the 16th century in Duke Humphrey’s library, the oldest part of the Bodleian Library.

24. The Screwtape Letters was his least favorite to write. He said he never wrote with less enjoyment. Having to “switch sides” was difficult for him.

About Me

This blog is an abundance trustworthy resources that have helped me. I wanted to make them available to you to further your understanding of a particular topic, with the goal of growing closer to Jesus.